Teruaki Sato Weighs Self Funded Camp as Tensions With Hanshin Grow Over MLB Ambitions

“I don’t know if I’ll come back from Okinawa.”

Infielder Teruaki Sato (26) of the Hanshin Tigers, who has been selected for the roster of the 6th WBC opening in March, continues to be at odds with the club.

In pursuit of his dream of challenging Major League Baseball, he has appointed an agent to negotiate with the team and is prepared for an “all-out battle.” If this drags on, there is even the extraordinary possibility that he could keep his voluntary training private and enter spring camp at his own expense.

“Last season he won the league’s double crown in home runs and RBIs. With slugger Sato being selected for the WBC squad, Tokyo-based sports papers gave it major coverage. Manager Hirokazu Ibata (50), who leads Samurai Japan, has also expressed strong expectations, saying, ‘I think he can produce even more than last year.’ In both name and reality, he has become one of the biggest stars in Japanese baseball,” said a former club official.

However, Sato’s footing is shaky. With camp approaching, he is the only player on the team who has yet to finalize his contract.

“The reason he’s negotiating through an agent is to get the club to approve his MLB challenge via the posting system, which he has been pushing for since contract talks after the 2024 season. Team executives are standing firm, saying, ‘We hold the initiative,’ but Sato wants a clear commitment that a transfer will be approved as early as the 2026 offseason, or at the latest the 2027 offseason,” the source added.

The future of the Tigers’ cleanup hitter is a major concern for fans. On January 16, team president Kazuo Awai released a statement saying, “We are aware of the concerns of our fans. We will refrain from making comments.”

“Now, Sato’s contract and future are the biggest topic for Kansai media. Team executives are being asked day after day, ‘What’s going on with Teru!?’ and are being pushed to the brink mentally and physically. The club has even asked reporters to be considerate and ease up on coverage.

To begin with, Sato has only produced MLB-caliber results for one season—the 2025 campaign. The honest feeling is that they don’t want to approve posting based on just one explosive year,” said a team insider.

The front office also seems bewildered, having not expected Sato to be this insistent about an MLB challenge.

“Sato was scheduled to open his voluntary training to the media on January 24 at the team’s facility in Amagasaki.

However, the club told us, ‘If talks don’t come together, it may be postponed, and in the worst case the open training itself could be canceled. Sato is currently training in Okinawa, and we don’t even know if he’ll be back by the 24th.’

I do think he’ll return, and contract talks will likely be finalized soon, but it shows just how deep the rift is between the two sides.

He seems prepared to say, ‘If negotiations don’t come together, I won’t hesitate to join spring camp at my own expense.’ From the club’s perspective, if they easily approve posting, they won’t be able to explain themselves to other young Tigers, such as Hiroto Saiki (27), who have also spoken of dreams of going to the majors. That’s why they’re forced to take a hard line,” the source continued.

Just as Hanshin fans were celebrating Sato’s WBC selection, the question now is how this major offseason dispute will finally be resolved.